The Theological and Cultural Musings of William H Funkhouser

“But, as it is written, ‘No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, is what God has prepared for those who love him’” 1 Cor 2:9

My family and I went to see a movie this afternoon. As we were waiting for it to begin, we were watching the previews of upcoming films. Suddenly, in one of the previews, one of the characters said something that I find profound. “You are looking at life as through a keyhole.” As I was pondering this, God spoke to me and said that many view the Christian life as through a key hole, seeing and experiencing less than what He has made available to us.

Have you ever looked through a keyhole? I have. It is amazing how much you miss when this is the only way you see what is on the other side of the door. You have a very narrow window of what is just a few inches in front of you. As you peek through, you may see a table with a bowl on it not knowing if it is empty or has something in it. Next to the table may be a single chair, while on the wall in the back is a picture of who knows what. As far as you can tell, there is not much on the other side of the door. However, if you would take the time to open the door wide, you would find an absolutely beautiful room, with the most amazing furniture, gorgeous wall paper, extremely wonderful wood floors and some of the most incredible pieces of art you could ever imagine. You could spend hours and days just admiring every little thing in the room. However, you can never truly experience the beauty and awesomeness of the room if you only peer through the key hole.

The same can be said for how we view the Christian life and our relationship to God. We all find ourselves at times looking only at a narrow view of our Christian walk, thinking that this small picture is all there is, not realizing if we would just step all the way in, there is a deeper and richer life available to us. Through the keyhole, we may only see what God can do for us, without seeing the bigger picture of what He will do through us to bless others, ultimately blessing us as well. Through the keyhole, we may go through the motions of going to church and giving our offerings, but miss the times of intimate fellowship with our infinite and all loving Father. If we do not fully open the door, we may go through undue hardship which could have been avoided if we had understood how much God is always with us. If we do not see the big picture of who God is, we may not always allow God to have His perfect work in us, especially if this perfect work comes through times of suffering.

My favorite verse in all of the scriptures is Rom 8:28. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” If this verse is true, and we know it is, then we can be assured that God will bring a good out of everything we experience. If we are going through a difficult time, and we are only seeing through a key hole, we will complain and begin crying out, “Why is this happening?” or “What have I done to deserve this?” We will only see how this experience affects us in a negative way. Believe me, I am relating this as one who has looked through a few keyholes. However, if we open the door and look at the complete picture, we will realize that if ALL things work toward a good, then there is a good that is going to come out of this, and we should look forward to seeing what that good will be. Moreover, this good that comes out may not even be for us, but for someone else. What a wonderful thing if we could see that our sufferings could be the source of blessings and provision for someone in desperate need.

Paul told us that we have not seen or heard the wonderful things that God has prepared for us who love Him. This verse is often in the context of our life after Christ returns and sets up His kingdom. However, I believe this also refers to our life here on earth. If we do not give ourselves completely to God and make Him our Lord in every aspect of our lives, we will miss the fullness of what He has for us. As for me, I am tired of looking through key holes. From now on, I will commit to swinging the door wide open experiencing the Christian life in all its beauty and richness. I desire to know all I can about God and His loving care, as well as His calling on my life. I want to experience all of Him, to please Him in every way. The status quo is no longer acceptable. I pray you feel the same way. Open the door with me and let’s enjoy all the things God has for us together.

Welcome to Of God and Society

I am honored that you have taken the time to check out this site. My goal is to provide a place where we can encourage each other in our Christian walk. As iron sharpens iron, we can sharpen each other and grow in the Fear and Admonition of the Lord. If you would like to send me an email, please feel free to do so. My email address is bill@funkhousers.net